Thug who left innocent man’s eye permanently disfigured after knuckle duster Portsmouth pub attack still at large

As reported, the incident at John Jacques pub in Fratton Road on April 18 was reportedly branded the ‘worst attack’ ever seen at the premises by the long-standing landlord. The victim was left needing two operations following gruesome injuries to his face after being repeatedly beaten in the face with a knuckle duster – which even left an imprint on his forehead.

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Shirley Moore, 61, said matters erupted when her boyfriend Catalin, 36, and herself were ‘insulted’ by a man ‘looking for trouble’. Catalin – a Romanian national – was then subjected to menacing behaviour by the unknown assailant before a fight kicked off.

‘There was scuffling on the floor…the manager was trying to separate them. The man had a knuckle duster and was laying into Catalin. The next thing I saw he was pouring with blood,’ Shirley previously said.

‘He was hitting him repeatedly with a knuckle duster. It was a totally unprovoked attack. Catalin was taken to hospital with X-rays showing he had a fractured eye socket. His eye tear duct was ripped and he was left with knuckle duster prints on the top of his head.

‘Catalin has needed two operations. The first one was to stitch up the bottom of his eye where the tear duct was ripped and the second was to have bone built up under his eye so it would not sink.’

Following the brutal attack, which took place in full view inside the busy pub just after 9pm, the attacker fled the scene. Police were called to the pub and went to hospital with the victim but Shirley said they have been left disappointed by the force’s ‘slow’ response since then.

Now, more than a month on from the terrifying incident, the attacker remains at large. Police have said they are still ‘continuing with enquiries’ to find the assailant with no one yet arrested.

Shirley previously spoke of her ‘concern’ the perpetrator could ‘get away with it’ as Catalin faces up to having a permanent reminder of the attack. ‘It is a long time not to have arrested the bloke,’ she said.

Call police on 101 quoting reference 44230109047.

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